To Revel
by Toxxic-Lover
Summary: ..is to be Free. It all started with a mask he hated making... Various bouts of gore and other general things not to be read by those beneath the age of 18 in the United States will be featured in this fiction later on. Do tread carefully.
1. Chapter 1

Uta hesitated before riveting the final piece onto the mask before him.

Normally he handled his commissions in his own vision of the person who came in. But this one was different.

_He hadn't even heard the door open, much less smell the ghoul that entered his studio a few minutes after he'd closed. That alone was enough to make him suspicious when he turned to see the figure in is doorway. Though their face held innocence enough, their sclera were pitch and a long blood red tail moved slowly behind them; a simple Bikaku. And as for a gender… he couldn't tell; flat chested with a simple tank top, as well as long, tight fitting pants. Their hair was long and wavy, but nappy and not well taken care of. Their face had sharp lines, but was as androgynous as the rest of them._

_ "Sorry but the studio is closed." His posture stayed neutral. He'd dealt with cannibals in his studio before. But the ghoul pulled a tattered sketchbook from its jacket and laid it on the counter, keeping its distance as it slid the well-worn book towards him. _

_It was open to a specific page of a mask sketch. It was simple, but odd. The face was blue and plain, save for four eyeholes covered with a fine black mesh for visibility outwards, but not inwards. A swift glance up at the ghoul, standing so still at the end of the counter, showed a lack of said extra eyes. But he looked back to the drawing, his eyes drawn to the most prominent feature. Two long, onyx horns curled off of either side of it, like ram's horns._

_Simple enough._

"_I can do it." He sighed, "Though I wish you'd come earlier. I closed a little while ago."_

_The ghoul looked down at its feet and nodded. Their arms moved behind their back; apologetic. Uta felt a wave of exasperation, but motioned the ghoul over, "Alright, come over here and let me take some measurements."_

_He posed a couple of questions, but the ghoul stayed silent, shaking its head when he asked it simple yes or no questions. To others, it simply pointed at its throat. _

_Mute? Perfect. Yet he kept his demeanor cool. He even offered a notebook for them to write in, but they simply denied it. Once he had everything he needed, the ghoul tore out the mask's page in the sketchbook, leaving that page on the counter before slipping out the door as silently as they came in._

In short, he knew nothing about the person that would be behind this mask. He'd had difficult customers before but this one almost felt impersonal. He leaned back after finally putting the piece on and crossed his arms with a huff. He was not happy with this work at all. But he'd been glared at when he suggested small changes to the design. He knew he'd perhaps do a better one just to satisfy his need to elaborate on the design. Leave it as a display piece in his studio. As it was, he stood and draped cloth over the mask and its stand.

He picked up the yellowed page of the sketchbook and looked it over again, the paper covered with notes of his own around the design. The ghoul had talent in sketching, he would admit, but their visions seemed to be on opposite ends of a spectrum. He turned back to the covered piece and shook his head before shoving the paper behind his counter.

The ghoul who'd commissioned it likely wouldn't be back for a few days.


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn't long before the ghoul came back. And again they managed to slip by him. Now he turned at the sound of fabric rustling and a voiceless gasp. The ghoul was already at the mask, having uncovered it. Thin, pale hands drifted over the edges of it, as if cupping a person's face. Their eyes widened and an expression like joy swept over their face.

Uta couldn't help but smile. Even if he hadn't liked making it, this was something honestly new to him. He'd made something come to life for this ghoul and they looked about ready to cry. Their Bikaku curled around them as their fingers danced across the horns.

Fingertips curled beneath the edges of the mask and slowly lifted up, sliding it free of the mannequin. They held it to their chest and hugged it before looking to Uta with a grin. They slipped on the mask immediately afterwards, and Uta slid over to held them fasten the back of it. Money was happily passed from commissioner to artisan, but Uta laid a hand on the ghoul's shoulder before they dashed out the door, effectively stopping them. The mask brought an almost unnerving stoic feel to the ghoul's face as they tilted their head at him.

"Forgive me for asking, but why this design in particular?" He motioned to the mask, almost now appearing to be the bearer's face. They dug out the sketch book again and held up a new picture; this time of a creature. Bald and horned, with the exact same face as the mask. It was tall and thin with four spindly arms and long legs like a deer. A long tail like the commissioner's Bikaku trailed behind it. Its skin was a pale sky blue with four vibrant eyes staring at him, watching him, it seemed. The ghoul tapped the picture, and then they pointed to themself.

"That's… you?"

They nodded quickly before putting the book away again.

"That's… interesting." He'd heard of such things as 'otherkin' or some such from his human interactions, but he'd never truly met such an individual. Then they hugged him, shocking him into stillness as they let go and bolted from the studio. A light laugh left Uta's lips and he scratched his head for a moment as he looked at the now-empty mannequin.

He turned to slip through the curtain that separated his living quarters and the studio, walking to a mask he'd been working on back there. A remake of the commissioner's as he'd hated making it. But now looking at his remake, it seemed unnatural; too complex. Now that he knew what it was and what it represented, he sat down to take it apart; to use those parts for other masks in the future.


End file.
